CASE FOR CHRIST

Who is This Jesus?

Who is This Jesus? How Reliable is the Information about Christ?, and Can a Dead Man Come Back to Life?

Lee Strobel is a famous atheist who turned Christian when working for the Chicago Tribune. He sought to disprove God and discredit Christianity, and yet his journey brought him to faith. Yes, Strobel became a Christian while writing The Case for Christ.

This book demonstrates that Christianity is not just another religion to choose from, but a belief based on facts, history, and logic.

I believe anyone with doubts about Jesus Christ will view Him differently after reading his book. The Christian layperson will also benefit by learning answers to support her beliefs.

“You must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.” 1 Peter 3:15-16

When people begin religious movements, it’s often not until many generations later that people record things about them” For almost a century Christianity went unnoticed by most men and women in the Roman Empire. Non-Christians saw the Christian community as a tiny, peculiar, antisocial, sect of the lower strata of society

The books of the New Testament originally existed only as oral tradition. The disciples lived in an “oral culture, in which there was great emphasis placed on memorization”

The four gospels were in fact written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and therefore the canonical gospels are eyewitness testimony. This fact is confirmed by Papias (writing circa CE 125) and Irenaeus (writing circa 180); the authorship of the gospels was never in doubt among early Christians. If this claim were false, hostile witnesses would have happily shouted that fact from the mountaintops.

Documentary Evidence:

We have far more ancient copies of the New Testament than we have of, say, Homer’s Iliador Tacitus’s Annals of Imperial Rome.

The early church adopted three criteria in evaluating documents for inclusion in the New Testament:

(i) Was the book written by an apostle or by a follower of an apostle? (ii) Did the book conform to what Christians already believed? (iii) Had the book been continuously accepted and used by the church at large?

These criteria may have been “loaded from the outset, like dice that are weighted so they yield the result that was desired all along” Does that not speak of the direction from the Holy Spirit.

God has commanded us to not change His Word. As He is the author, He holds the eternal copyright. He allows us, nay, commands us, to copy and spread His Word to the entire world. However, He strictly forbids the addition or removal of anything from His Word.

“Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.” Deuteronomy 4:2

“I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll.19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.” Revelation 22:18, 19

Corroborating Evidence:

The references of Josephus, a historian of Jesus’ day, corroborate the independent confirmation of the historicity of Jesus.

About this time lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was the achiever of extraordinary deeds and was a teacher of those who accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Messiah. When he was indicted by the principal men among us and Pilate condemned him to be crucified, those who had come to love him originally did not cease to do so; for he appeared to them on the third day restored to life, as the prophets of the Deity had foretold these and countless other marvelous things about him, and the tribe of the Christians, so named after him, has not disappeared to this day. Antiquities 18:63

So you are saying, I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.

Yet, if we believe Jesus said the things the New Testament attributes to Him, then we must believe that Jesus claimed to be God. And if we believe that claim is false, then it makes no sense to maintain that Jesus was“a great moral teacher.”He was either insane or a compulsive liar.

Was Jesus crazy when he claimed to be God?” No contemporary critic of Christianity claims that Jesus was crazy. He did not exhibit the behavior of someone who is mentally disturbed.

In any event, Jesus as Messiah was actually predicted by the Old Testament prophets. Jesus “fit” the Old Testament’s profile of God as someone who is omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, eternal, immutable, loving, holy, righteous, and just

Most scholars agree that Jesus was executed by crucifixion on the authority of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem. The Resurrection is the best explanation for the alleged historical facts of the empty tomb, post-Resurrection appearances, and other circumstantial evidence.

Christian philosopher J.P. Moreland provides “six pieces of circumstantial evidence” that convince him of the Resurrection:

(i) the disciples died for their beliefs; (Most of the disciples “were executed in torturous ways” for their belief that “Jesus Christ was the Messiah of God who died on a cross, returned to life, and was seen alive by them”)

(ii) the conversion of skeptics;

(iii) changes to key social structures;

(iv) communion and baptism;

(v) the emergence of the church; and

(vi) the religious experience of Christians

What makes more sense is to take a step in the same direction that the evidence is pointing.

JESUS WISHES TO SPEAK TO YOU.

My Heart Burns for You.

“I love you.

My love for you and all My brothers and sisters is pure unconditional love.There is no self- interest in My love for you and there is nothing I wish to get from you. It is purely from the heart. I want only what is good for you. I wish to carry you in My heart as you carry Me in yours.

When you are filled with joy then My joy is full. When you are concerned with a problem or you are going through a trial, then I am concerned too.

My Father cares for you too for He gave you an angel to be with you every day to guard you from harm and to guide you. Your Guardian Angel has only your welfare in mind. Listen when he whispers to you.

I am sad when you commit sin but immediately I give you the grace to repent and to return to Me.

My love for you is everlasting.You are mine and I will never abandon you. Another name for Me is LOVE. Love for you is the reason why I was born a human being; love is the reason why I proclaimed the Good News to you and love for you is the only reason I died on the cross.

You have been given the gift of free willto decide to follow Me daily as My friend. I send upon each of you all the graces you need each day. You need to cooperate with all these gifts. All I ask of you is that you love Me in return.

You are on earth for a time as a preparation for eternity with Me in heaven. It all depends how you make use of the graces you receivetoday and every day. If you refuse them, you are putting yourself at risk to reach your goal. If you accept them, you are on the right road that leads to eternal life with Me in heaven.

Don’t let the pleasures of this life distract you from your true destiny. Pleasures last for a moment but the treasures of heaven last forever. Be on your guard against the traps of the evil one. He will tempt you to turn away from Mebut come to Me and I will protect you. I defeated the evil one and you will defeat him with My strength.

My heart burns for you.I bless you all.”

The above messages came to Father Melvin Doucette:

Fr. Melvin Doucette was ordained to the priesthood on and joined the Missionaries of Africa for 29 years in Africa. In contemplative prayer every morning, Fr. Doucette receives by interior locution “messages from heaven” to share with the public.

ASTONISHING PREDICTIONS

God divinely inspired the BIBLE . How do we know?Each of eight accurate predictions show a high probability mathematically. The probability of one individual fulfilling eight prophecies have odds of 1 in 10 17(1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000). Jesus Christ fulfilled all prophecies, therefore the Bible MUST BE TRUE.

The Old Testament indicates another 40 astonishing predictions.

Christianity experiences stunning growth—from approximately 3.8 million adherents in China in 1956 to an estimated 87 to 100 million Christians today.

In the end, one Christian conversion will benefit the whole family. The gifts of the Holy Spirit of healing and deliverance will help the whole family. A prayer of deliverance of evil spirits will leave any member of the family with a complete sense of peace immediately. A prayer of healing from a Christian disciple produces 80% healing. The remaining healing comes from continued prayer of praise and thanksgiving until all the healing is complete. This healing comes from the Holy Spirit through the power in the Name of Jesus Christ. No other god or deity or doctor uses this power. This proves the TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY.

BILLIONS OF CHRISTIANS CAN’ T ALL BE WRONG!

Christianity is not a philosophy, but it is a relationship with God, your Creator, in Christ TODAY. It is not knowledge of abstract principles. How do we know this? Healing takes place TODAY in the Name of Jesus Christ.

HEALING?

Many Christian disciples use the gift of healing. They also use deliverance to deliver away evil spirits influencing people. These evil spirits cause depression, addictions and illness through all forms of stress. Only the Name of Jesus Christ makes healing and deliverance possible.

HOW IS JESUS STILL ALIVE TODAY?

Jesus is alive today!He heals today (through His followers) and in many cases it is realized immediately. How else can you explain the explosion of Christianity, the world’s largest religion, on earth: 2.2 billion adherents, nearly a third (31 percent) of all 6.9 billion people on Earth.

Christians know and feel His Presence; they communicate with Him personally; Christian prayers are always answered.

This author has been given the Gift of Healing only because he is a Christian Lay Missionary, who travels two to three places every year. On his last trip to Columbia he successfully transferred his Gift to his Spanish translators, who were able to heal as he did. He has healed Muslims to their great surprise.

He also delivers away evil spirits along with their healing. All those who are delivered from evil spirits feel a complete physical sense of peace.

DREAMS AND VISIONS

God can give a message to those non-Christians to change their heart. God knows faith will be developed eventually. God will come to you in the form of dreams or visions. So be sensitive to any dreams or visions,when you ask God for it earnestly.

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN?

Christians don’t speak with pride. They confess that they stumble and need Christ to be their guide.

Christians don’t say,” I’m strong.” They say they try to be strong because they need strength.

Christians don’t brag about success, but they admit that they fail and they need God to clean the mess.

Christians don’t claim to be perfect, but God still believes in them.

Christians still feel the sting of pain. They have their share of headaches but they still call upon His Name.

Christians are not holier than others. They are simple sinners who receive God’s unbelievable Grace.

Christianity on a Table Napkin:

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9

The real Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. He was send by God to come to the earth in the body of a human being. That was, so that He could suffer in the flesh, and take all our sins upon Himself and die in our place. He rose from the dead and lives to pray for us daily.

He is the Savior – The angel announced to Mary; …and you shall call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins. Matthew 1:21 It means He has the power to free us, save us and deliver us from sin. He is merciful and has the power to forgive. He brings good news to the poor, heals the heart-broken, announce freedom to all captives, pardons all prisoners. He comforts mourners. He has healing in His hands.

To receive Jesus as your Savior… SAY:Lord Jesus, You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Please hear me today and help me! I want to receive You as my Lord and Savior. Be Lord of my life! Lord Jesus, I believe that You died for me and that God raised You from the dead. Forgive me all my sins and take all my sins away. Come into my heart and be my Savior and Lord, and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Amen

Your life will begin to change in an amazing way. Without expecting anything, be sensitive to any dreams or visions.

God the Father will wipe every tear from our eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, crying out or pain. We will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is The Holy Spirit will have made all things new. Eternal joy will begin. “For the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is His name.”Luke 1: 49

Are we not like Barabbas who was justly condemned for murder, but saved by the innocent Jesus on the cross? Are we not like the adulterous woman, deserving of death by stoning, to whom Jesus says, “I do not condemn you”? And Jesus saved them both. In fact, Jesus came to earth specifically to look for and save those who were lost, like you.

“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool”.Isaiah 1:18

You may need some counseling with a pastor, priest or competent Christian worker, who will introduce you to a Short Course on Who is Jesus? Start by reading a short biography of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. Read several verses before going to bed and read the same verse upon arising. He will defend you from attacks of the enemy when you ask Him.

Tweet Jesus Christ is the ultimate high priest and He presents us with a description of the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ as far superior to the many sacrifices offered by the old priesthood. Jesus said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they […]

Tweet THE PRINCIPAL AGENT OF MISSION The coming of the Holy Spirit makes them witnesses and prophets Acts 1:8; 2:17-18. It fills them with a serene courage which impels them to pass on to others their experience of Jesus and the hope which motivates them. The Spirit gives them the ability to bear witness to Jesus with “boldness.” […]